The present Nigerian government has made wealth creation for young citizens one of its cardinal points.
This is particularly true, with technology.
Consequently, the Governing Board of the National Board for Technology incubation (NBTI) says it will increase its capacity of creating opportunities for many Nigerians to generate wealth.
Indeed, Bitrus Nabasu, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, who is also the Chairman of the governing board of NBTI, says creating jobs is what science and technology is all about, and if the agency works without strikes by the unions the country will be the better for it.
Speaking at the inaugural board meeting in Abuja, Nabasu said the management and the union leaders had given the board the assurance that they would work together with the board to move the agency forward.
”There is no problem that has no solution, they have given us as board members a long list of demands, those we can do, we will do, and those we cannot we take to the appropriate quarters.
“What is not within our powers we take to the appropriate quarters but I am assuring you that this board will be sensitive and responsive to the demands of the unions.
“It may not be 100 per cent but we will try to bring them closer to us, let them also forgo some of the demands that cannot be met.
He stressed that all hands must be on deck to move the agency forward as the board was key to the ministry achieving its mandate in fast-tracking socio-economic development of the country.
Dr Mohammed Jubrin, Director-General, NBTI, said both the board, management and the union had agreed to work together as well as put the interest of the agency first in view of the mandate which was aimed at boosting the industry development of the country through harnessing of all research and development results and other innovative efforts for commercialisation.
He promised to run an open administration free of intimidation, carry everyone along and guarantee the fundamental rights of all the staff of NBTI.
Jubrin said NBTI would improve with the composition of the board which has 14 members who represented important institutions of the board’s stakeholders.
According to him, since the establishment of the NBTI over 15 years, this makes the organisation stand as a house without foundation.